Photo from The Picklr website
People watch a pickleball match at a location of The Picklr pickleball complex in another state.
An indoor pickleball facility with 10 courts has been proposed for the former Sprouts grocery store on U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills, and the City Council is considering an incentive package to make the deal happen.
Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes announced the proposal during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
Downes said the vacant Sprouts site at 1031 Montgomery Highway has been “a topic of conversation in our community” since the grocery store closed in December 2018 and said an indoor pickleball facility, to be called The Picklr, would help satisfy the increasing demand for pickleball courts in the city because there aren’t enough.
Photo by Loyd McIntosh
The former Sprouts grocery store at 1031 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, sits empty on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024.
"For many different reasons, Sprouts has continued to pay its lease payment to the property owner, even though the facility has been vacant,” explained Downes. “Picklr would be bringing a competition, indoor pickleball complex along with a pro shop and a restaurant to the currently vacant site."
There are 49 locations of The Picklr pickleball complexes in 23 states, according to the company’s website. None are listed in Alabama.
The Vestavia Hills City Council is scheduled to vote on an incentive agreement to bring The Picklr to Vestavia Hills at its Sept. 23 meeting.
Photo by Loyd McIntosh
The sign for the former Sprouts grocery store is still slightly visible at 1031 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024.
If approved, the pickleball facility will be part of a public-private partnership between the city and the private development group Altera AIP-Vestavia, resulting from negotiations to purchase the shopping center from its current owner, GBT Realty..
As part of the agreement, the city will provide economic incentives to AIP-Vestavia, including an initial grant of $300,000 and additional payments over 10 years based on a percentage of sales taxes and non-educational property tax proceeds.
In other news Monday night, the Vestavia Hills City Council approved a pair of resolutions for improvements to two small bridges in the Patchwork Farms area.
The first resolution approved a request to cede property to Jefferson County for right-of-way needs to widen and improve bridges on Caldwell Mill Road and Old Looney Mill Road. The second resolution approved an intergovernmental agreement between Vestavia Hills and Jefferson County allowing the widening work to proceed.
Vestavia Hills City Engineer Christopher Brady told the council that these older bridges have weight limits and are a safety risk due to some of the delivery trucks delivering items to the businesses in Patchwork Farms and surrounding areas. He also explained the project will be split into stages, with only one bridge being worked on at a time. The project should be completed in six to nine months, Brady said.
Photo by Loyd McIntosh
This bridge on Old Looney Mill Road in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, is slated for widening and improvements. This is its condition on Monday, Sept 9, 2024.
Photo by Loyd McIntosh
This bridge on Caldwell Mill Road in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, is slated for widening and improvements. This is its condition on Monday, Sept 9, 2024.
Additionally, state Rep. Mike Shaw, R-Hoover, presented the council with a $9,500 grant of state money for improvements to Altadena Park.
“For me, it's really important it's the taxpayer money that's going back into the community,” Shaw said. “I really want it to go to the things that people are going to benefit from in our community.”
Photo by Loyd McIntosh
State Rep. MIke Shaw, R-Hoover, presents a $9,500 check from the state to the city of Vestavia Hills for improvements to Altadena Park.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 7:56 a.m. to correct the name of the company that currently owns the former Sprouts Farmers Market building. It is GBT Realty.
